California fire captain reunited with preemie he helped to save
One fire department captain recently had a joyful reunion with a baby he helped to deliver two months early.
Emergency service workers often help people at distressing times, and they don’t often get to see the end of the story. But this was not the case for Captain Kyle Enos, a firefighter in the small town of Willows, California in the Sacramento Valley – a tight-knit community of about 6,000 people. In March, Enos was dispatched on a medical emergency call early one morning when a woman went into labor but wasn’t due for another few months.
Fortunately Enos showed up on the scene three minutes after the initial call, where he found the woman in active labor. He kept her calm and prepared to deliver her baby on site, if necessary. A few minutes later, local EMTs showed up with advanced life support measures, and together they swiftly transported her to the local medical center where her baby, Colton, was delivered in the emergency room.
Preterm labor – labor that starts before the 37th week of pregnancy – affects around 1 in every 10 births in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The causes are not always well-understood, and the stakes are high as babies born before they reach full-term (37 to 40 weeks) are at higher risk for disabilities or even death.
But Colton was completely healthy in spite of his early birthday.
Recently, Captain Enos had the joy of reuniting with baby Colton and his mother – a heartwarming bookend to the March emergency call.
“Times like this are why we exist as an agency,” said Chief Nathan Monck, according to a statement posted on the department’s Facebook page. “It’s a true honor to serve our residents, and it reminds us why local access to emergency care, like that provided at Glenn Medical Center, is not just important, it’s life-saving.”
And there’s more good news for babies like Colton who might be born earlier than expected. For babies who need medical help and support after a premature birth, advancements in medicine show better outlooks than ever for long-term wellness.
As Live Action News has reported, a 2019 study found that the majority of babies born prematurely grow into adulthood with no serious physical or mental health complications, with an only eight percent higher chance of complications than babies born full term.
Human Interest·By Laura Nicole
